GROOMBRIDGE & SUZUKI RM-Z450 PODIUM AT NZ CROSS COUNTRY

Team Suzuki Press Office – February 14.

Brad Groombridge – Suzuki RM-Z450 – 3rd

Suzuki rider and defending champion Brad Groombridge began his national cross-country title defence at the first of four rounds of this season's New Zealand championship series on steep and rugged farmland at Flemington on Sunday with a podium finish and third overall for the day.

He was naturally disappointed that he wasn't on the top step of the rostrum and that has always been his aim, but the points he gained on Sunday may prove to be crucial in the final analysis.

Groombridge and his Suzuki RM-Z450 had a massive problem to overcome on Sunday, the 28-year-old a long way back in the field after he'd crashed early on the opening lap, little more than 400 metres into the first of the eight 23-kilometre laps.

Said Groombridge: "I was trying to pick my way through traffic when I hit an uphill bump, my legs were thrown off the foot-pegs and I went over the handlebars. I blame myself really. I was in such a hurry to get to the front to avoid being choked in dust."

He picked himself up and battled through almost the entire field to clinch third overall at the finish of the gruelling three-hour race – crossing the line behind Jason Dickey and Sam Brown, satisfied to at least salvage valuable points and give himself something positive to build on over the months to come.

It was a rare set-back for Groombridge, who has dominated the cross-country nationals for the past three seasons, but he has vowed to be back on top at the next round, near Mosgiel.

"I was using a bigger 12-litre tank on the RM-Z450 and really only needed to take one fuel stop in the three hours, but I still came in for a 'splash and dash' top-up before my final lap, just to be safe," Groombridge said.

"I was having problems at that stage too with my rear tyre. All the knobs had been ripped off by the hard-pack terrain. I should have chosen different compound tyres. That was my mistake there.

"I guess I made the best of a bad situation. They say championships are won on your bad days and that was a bad day for me, but I still finished third."

Groombridge's next assignment is round two of the New Zealand Motocross Championships, at Rotorua this coming Sunday, where he will again race a Suzuki RM-Z450 in the MX1 class and also a Suzuki RM-Z250 in the MX2 (250cc) class.

The tough-as-nails rider is currently running fourth overall in both those classes at the motocross nationals.